American Standard: Anthoenson Press

One of the giants in the field of private presses, to those in the know is the Anthoenson Press of Maine. Originally called the Southworth Press, Anthoenson started as an evangelical effort on the part of a Rev. Southworth in 1875 to distribute religious tracts and pamphlets to the presumed licentious and profligate sailors of the northern seas. It is to this press that Danish Born Fred Anthoenson apprenticed, and later took over, expanding its operations and renaming the endeavor the Anthoenson Press.

In later years Fred Anthoenson ran the original linotype machines (which were considered the cutting edge of technology for their times) to provide a wide range of services for both the fiction-genre community and the academic. They were in particular chosen to represent the Peabody Museum, the Boston Athanaeum, the Limited Editions Club as well as providing many of the private-print catalogs and directories for museum and library services up and down the country. It is perhaps for this last fact that it is still thought of fondly by archivists and collectors to this day.

However, change comes to us all, and to Anthoenson Press it came in the form of a fire in the late 1980's, when we saw many of its rare catalog destroyed. Already feeling pressured by the newer electronic and digital printing endeavors, Anthoenson finally closed their doors after a successful career.

If considering collecting this fine press, then the most desirable editions probably remain to this day to be the Limited Editions Club, who reprinted some of the great authors such as Borges, Forster, Poe, Bissell in their own slipcases and with specially redesigned covers. First Editions in excellent condition dating to just as late as the 1970's and beyond can all fetch at least $700 at auction.

Links: http://usm.maine.edu/library/specialcollections/anthoensen-press